The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring a workpiece of the type consisting essentially of a supporting element and a longitudinally displaceable guide carriage carrying a measuring feeler.
An exact measuring of a workpiece in more than one coordinate direction is conducted, as is known, most economically on a measuring plate by means of a gauge. However, in such a procedure, a measuring length can only be attained maximally which corresponds approximately to the length of the measuring plate. Objects of a very voluminous construction and objects which are fixedly mounted are in many cases measured by means of gauges, templates, castings, or the like. Since, as can be readily understood, considerable expenditures from the labor and money viewpoints are required for the manufacture of such devices, portable measuring devices have been created.
A portable measuring apparatus as has been disclosed, for example, in DOS [German Unexamined Laid-Open Application] 1,548,352 consists substantially of a casing and a yardstick longitudinally displaceable therein. However, a disadvantage of this measuring device, which can be arranged at the object to be measured, is that only a relatively minor measuring length corresponding to the length of the yardstick can be obtained.
Starting with this aspect, the present invention is based at least in part on the objective of providing a portable measuring device making it possible in a simple and economical manner to measure objects to be gauged which include those having great measuring lengths.
The present invention contemplates providing at least one end zone of a supporting element with a mounting means by which the supporting element can be connected with at least one further identical supporting element in a force-derived and/or form-fitting coupling fashion.
In a further development of the invention, the supporting element is equipped at both end zones with a mounting means.
The advantage of this invention resides particularly in that a supporting element constructed in this way can be connected to a number of additional similar supporting elements so that a series of supporting elements of an arbitrary length and forming a single structural unit can be composed in a rapid and accurate manner, whereby a very great measuring length can be attained by means of a measuring device attached to this structural unit.
These and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a single embodiment in accordance with the present invention.